The purpose of this manual is to provide human rights defenders (HRDs) with additional knowledge and tools that may be useful for improving their understanding of security and protection. The manual can be used to support training on security and protection, help defenders carry out their own risk assessments and define security rules and procedures that suit their particular situations.

This manual is the result of over 25 years combined experience of Protection International staff who have been working with human rights and humanitarian law and in the protection of HRDs and other vulnerable groups.

We have had the opportunity to learn from and share experiences and knowledge with hundreds of defenders in the field, as well as in workshops, meetings and discussions about security. Most of the manual’s contents have already been applied in practice, either in protection work or in training workshops with defenders. This manual is the fruit of all these exchanges, and we owe the defenders involved a huge thanks for their input.

Authors : Protection International Research and Training Unit

Research and text by Enrique Eguren Fernández and Marie Caraj Protection International

The manual is available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Indonesian and Swahili. Click on the image below to download the manual.